Without a doubt, Penang is famous for its historical buildings and beautiful temples. In Penang, you will see many beautifully designed temples scattered throughout the capital city of Georgetown. The Han Jiang Ancestral Temple on Chulia Street is one of the many beautiful temples in Penang that you can visit here.

Penang’s magnificent Han Jiang Ancestral Temple was built in 1870 when a significant number of Teochew Chinese from China’s Chaozao province began to settle in Penang. Originally, this Penang temple was called Teochew Kongsi and functioned as a clan association building, before it was renamed Han Jiang Ancestral Temple in 1935. Han Jiang Ancestral Temple is known to be the best maintained Teochew temple. throughout Southeast Asia. and has won the 2006 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Prize for cultural heritage conservation.

When you look at the Han Jiang Ancestral Temple from the street, you’re probably right to mistakenly assume that this Penang temple looks like any other Chinese temple in this island state. However, when you enter this magnificent Penang temple, you will feel as if you have been transported back in time, especially when you look at the temple’s well-preserved 19th-century architectures.

This Penang temple was originally built in a four-pronged gold quadrangular design. When the Teochew community in Penang finally prospered, an ornate Chinese-style outer gate building was added to this Penang temple. One thing that you will be interested to know about this Penang temple is that it has the largest entrance gate in Penang as compared to the other clan temple buildings in this island state. It is also one of the few temples that can have three gates instead of just one or two gates. This is because the Shang Di Gong shrine, the tallest of the Chinese deity, is located inside the temple.

Another interesting feature that you will notice about this Penang temple is its lack of windows. This four-pronged gold quadrangular design air shaft from the Penang temple is shaped like a gourd, symbolizing the holding of money. The absence of windows is believed to prevent money from escaping from the temple.

If you take a look at the huge panels on the main gate of this Penang temple, you will see that the panels are intricately decorated with the motifs of the imposing Gate Guardians, Qin Shu Bao and Yuchi Gong, with their unique golden helmets. When you take photos next to the gate and compare your own height with it, you will understand why the gatehouse is considered the largest gate in Penang.

If you look up, you can see the typical Teochew architecture reflected in the rectangular spiral crossbeams built on top of the main crossbeam. Take a walk through the outer hall of this Penang temple and you’ll see the beautiful altar dedicated to the patron deity of Teochew, known as the Taoist god of the north. There are also many ancient stone tablets placed here. Above this altar is a plaque written in gold letters.

The second hall of this Penang temple houses the Shang Di Gong shrine. You will notice that the large courtyard off the second hall is lined with granite slabs and has various plants such as pomegranates, lotus and bamboo growing here. As you look at the entrance gate, you can see the three carp statues. Meanwhile, the rooftop is decorated with two beautiful green dragon statues. It is believed that once the carp jump over the gate they will transform into dragons.

You can see three altars with incense urns in this third hall of the Penang temple. There are also ancestral tablets that contain the names of the ancestors and community leaders of the Teochew community. From the many ancient tablets placed here, you can really get the feeling that the Han Jiang Ancestral Temple places an emphasis on honoring the legacy of previous generations who made Penang their home.

When in Penang, be sure to visit this captivating piece of local Teochew cultural heritage. Indeed, you will appreciate the sense of history that this magnificent Penang temple brings to its visitors. Let’s make this wonderful Penang temple at the top of your must-see list.